Logan’s annual Celtic Night celebrates culture
Bridger Folk Music Society presented their biggest event of the year last weekend; the annual Celtic Night benefit concert at Ellen Eccles Theater.
The concert featured live Celtic music from Logan-based band Leaping Lulu with accompanying dances from the local Inishfre Irish Dance Company. Proceeds went to Cache Humane Society and Four Paws Rescue.
“This is our 10th anniversary this year, so we tried making it bigger and better than before,” said Susan Hancey, a stage manager for the show. “Not only is it a big deal to us, we get plenty of people to show up every year.”
Emily Firth, a dancer in the company, agreed that this year’s show was different.
“We put together a unique show that not a lot of other people could pull together,” said dancer Emily Firth. “We had some dances that we’ve brought back from years past, but we have a lot of new ones this year.”
Jared Gunnell, a fan who has attended the event multiple years, said he noticed the changes.
“This year they added band members, changed the songs and added a little more elements too,” Gunnell said. “It was great. The event may be a family affair for me, but it’s also just really good music and you can tell a lot of effort really went into this.”
Firth said the group performs throughout the year, but this event is one they look forward to.
“It’s definitely a really rewarding experience,” she said. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it pays off.”
Hancey said hearing the music and seeing the performers makes the audience want to dance.
Julie Zufelt, creative director, and Katelin Madsen, executive director, choreographed this year’s event. They have been part of Celtic Night since it began.
“When we get onstage, you aren’t just seeing us perform, you’re seeing us really enjoying ourselves and coming together as a team,” said Madsen, a senior majoring in biology. “It’s the passion and excitement of the show is what makes it. It’s nothing you want to miss.”
Zufelt, an instructor for the Inishfre dancing program for years and founder of Celtic Night, said the company will lose a dancer this year and Leaping Lulu will be losing one of it’s members.
“Our core group pretty much remains the same, so this is kind of a sentimental time,” she said. “10 years is a real milestone. If you missed this, you missed a great performance and you should be sure to come next year.”
Sara Gunnell, a fiddler for Leaping Lulu, said the show has been a fun tradition.
“A lot of us didn’t realize we’d do it this long,” Gunnell said.
Michaeline Vaslet visited from New York to see her granddaughters perform.
“It was amazing,” she said. “I’ll be coming next year. It was worth the travel.”
Kathleen Atwood, one of the show’s stage managers, said the event affects those involved.
“Celtic Night has gotten so many people with Irish heritage back into being interested in being Irish and getting their true blood out,” Atwood said.
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